A lightning strike from a dry monsoon storm ignited a wildfire in McDowell Mountain Park about 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20. Flames against the dark sky on Thursday evening created some alarm among Fountain Hills residents.
The area of the blaze was somewhat inaccessible for fire apparatus and it was Friday morning that Arizona State Forestry began an aerial assault of the flames. On Sunday, Aug. 22, Arizona State Forestry reported the fire had burned through 615 acres and was declared extinguished.
The Town of Fountain Hills used its Code Red alert system to send a message to residents just before noon on Friday.
“The weather cooperated during the night and conditions look good for Friday so far. The fire is about 1.5 miles from the north Town border,” the alert stated. “State Fire has multiple jurisdictions providing ground support as well as air support.